Today in comic book conspiracy theories: What if DC is actually trying to lose you as a reader?
Whenever one of these stories surface– and the wait is never too long these days– I think the same thing: “They have got to realize how bad all this looks, right?”
I can only surmise that they know exactly how bad all this looks; they just don’t think anyone’s looking. Not anyone they care about, anyway.
Trying to put myself in DC’s collective shoes, it seems to me that the type of fan who follows the creators and the business moves and the behind-the-scenes shenanigans is kind of a headache to keep around. That fan thinks he’s The Voice of the People and that DC works for him, when truth is only 15% of Americans who are online use Twitter; one in five adults in this country still aren’t online at all. At all. Why should we kiss that guy’s butt, they must think, when we could be going after the guy who doesn’t even know who wrote the book he just bought?
If nothing else, that theory – That DC is actually a hyper-organized machine trying to passive-aggressively push a particular demographic of its audience off a metaphorical cliff in either disgust or disbelief – makes a chance from the more common idea that DC is such a disorganized company that it can’t do anything right, I guess. Next up: “What if DC is putting something in your food to make you crave Batman comics even though you know intellectually that a guy who dresses up like a flying rodent isn’t as cool as that Wolverine cat?”
February 5th, 2013 at 7:51 pm
1. I still love DC. So they clearly aren’t losing me as a fan.
2. Given the unending snark and sneer at DC online, I can’t blame DC if it really wants to lose the Internet fans, either. Sales are still up, so someone besides me must be enjoying things. Therefore, why try to cater to the snark crowd?
February 6th, 2013 at 12:30 am
what if Graeme cracker purposefully made stupid inane blog posts to drive away readership and get the lowest number of responses possible
February 6th, 2013 at 10:22 am
It wouldn’t be the first time a big company decided its future was going to be better served in diving after a demographic to the exclusion of all other concerns. Sometimes it pays off, and the iF article presents some examples that support it, at least in concept.
DC is very IP focused now, and using their horrid battles over Superman (and Capt Marvel) over the years as an example it isn’t too much a reach to see that they really really want to downplay the actual Creator component to their IPs’ value.
February 6th, 2013 at 11:33 am
Listen, I’ve had some time to think about this, and I’d like to apologize. You guys at Newsarama are just trying to engage people in a friendly discussion about a common interest, and what do I do? I come in here constantly– constantly!– being caustic and disparaging to you like you’re committing a crime.
I mean… I go after Graeme for his content, but what original insight or point of view have I contributed? When you think about it?
I fill the comment field in an effort to fill the hole within me. Things aren’t great at home.
I’m sorry.
February 6th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Honestly, I’m struggling right now. I’m coming to terms with some family issues after coming out to my parents over Christmas. They still haven’t accepted it, so I lash out online. It’s not just here at Graeme. I post hateful comments on youtube videos of kittens. Who does that? What’s wrong with me?
Time to rethink my life.
February 6th, 2013 at 12:33 pm
It…it gets better?
February 6th, 2013 at 3:21 pm
ThePlainTruth: I hope things turn around for you. I hope your family learns to support you as well.
I’ve made more than one very stupid comment on Newsarama in my day. And those are the ones I recognized as such. I got called on a particularly bad one, and I had to take a step back and realize what I was saying, why, and then I apologized. And I’ve tried constantly to do better since. So, good on you for trying to do the same.
February 6th, 2013 at 10:49 pm
I’d be shocked if that was really ThePlainTruth rather than someone trying to troll a troll. But if it really is him, hey, more power to ya.
February 7th, 2013 at 1:14 am
Yea h wow that was so insightful…[now i have a clone that contributed less than he seems to think i contributed
…. how very droll..wouldn’t be surprised if it was graeme cracker himself trying to be creative-nawww that cant happen
Hateful comment about kittens? oh please
February 7th, 2013 at 1:16 am
I don’t need to rethink my life. Actually my life is amazing.
Sad that yours isn’t my dear clone.
February 7th, 2013 at 8:37 am
Its more likely that the likes of Didio, Harris, Lee and an overworked Johns just don’t have the ability or talent to handle a halfhearted reboot on such a grand scale.
February 7th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Yay, I got suckered!
February 9th, 2013 at 1:57 pm
I don’t think DC is planning to suck and lose readers on purpose for a very simple reason: because they ARE losing them. That would mean they made a plan, then succeeded at it. What is the likelihood of that? It would imply competence. I would believe they made a plan to make the comics suck and drive away fans if the books ended up doing great and attracted fans like crazy.